Our Trip To Ireland...Getting There

(Fields Of Love)

Tom and I left on March 4 to visit our friend, Joe, in Ireland. We had a wonderful time getting to the airport because our good friend, Steve, drove us. Spending time with Steve is as good as being in Ireland....just different : )

Tom and I had plenty of time once we got to the airport to check in with ease and have a lovely lunch at the French Meadows in the mall after we passed through security. This is where we had our first disagreement. Tom said lunch took a half hour and I said it took an hour. Geez, the stress we live with!

We flew to Chicago and then off to Dublin. It was a 57 minute flight to Chicago and about a 6 1/2 hour flight to Dublin....not bad at all. There was a little turbulence on the flight to Dublin but all in all it was a smooth flight.

Once at Dublin we had to go through immigration which took some time. There was quite a line of people and only three agents on duty. I never mind standing in line though. I enjoy getting to talk to the people who are willing to talk to me and I always find something to laugh about or maybe just share a smile.

I happen to have laryngitis so when I talked to one man in line I said, "This isn't my real voice." He said to me, in a funny sounding voice, "This isn't my real voice either." Then we laughed and that was fun. Then, I was standing in line minding my own business and a nice young girl smiled at me and came toward me. She said, "Are you from Minnesota?" I said, "Yes, I am." Turns out she saw my driver's license in the thing I hang around my neck with my passport and driver's license at the ready and MINNESOTA was in clear view. I found out she lives in Brooklyn Center off 69th which was right where we used to live years ago. I love standing in line!

And, oh my, once we got through immigration and we met Joe, that is a story in itself. I am always glad to see Joe and usually the world knows it! There was a nice lady standing next to Joe when I went up to hug him and hug him and hug him and the lady started to wipe tears from her eyes. I looked at her and told her how we had met three years ago and now he is the Godfather to our ninth grandchild. So, there were more smiles and exclamations of "Isn't that wonderful!"

And, then in the restroom of the really lovely pub/restaurant where we stopped for some breakfast on the way home to Nenagh, there was another lady there washing her hands. She looked at me and said, "I think I saw you at the Dublin airport. You were hugging a man in a red coat." I laughed and said, "Yes, I was!" She said it was so touching she about cried. So, we shared my story and her story of why she was at the airport which was just as nice and away we both went to our respective lives. I just love the stories that come with doing regular, ordinary and usually insignificant things in life.